Bucket conveyer.



PATENTED APR. 5, 19,04.

BUCKET CONVEYER.

APPLIUATION FILED JULY 27, 1903.

'No umm..

UNITEDI STATES Patented April 5, 1904.

yPATENT OFFICE.

l BUCKET CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,510, dated April5,1904.

Application iiled .Tuly 27, 1903. Serial No. 167,208. (No model.)

T0 all whom it mayconcernl:

Be it known that, AUGUSTUS L. LE GRAND, a citizen of the United States,residing at l/Vest Pittston, in the county of Luzerne and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Bucket Conveyer, of whichthe following is a Specification.

My present invention relates to a novel bucket conveyer, the objectbeing to simplify the construction, to increase the stability of thestructure, and to render the same more durable.

\ To the accomplishment of this general object and others subordinatethereto, the invention in its preferred embodiment resides in thatconstruction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and succinctly defined in theappended claims.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is aV plan view of a portion of theconveyer,and Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with parts broken awayon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Y

Like characters are employed to designate corresponding parts in boththe views.

The bucket conveyer includes in its organization a pair of parallel sidechains 1 and 2 and a series of intermediate buckets 3, sup-v ported bythe chains in a manner to bedescribed and designed to receive thematerial to be conveyed. Each chain is made up of a series of links L 56, for instance, and each link consists of inner and outer link-plates 7and 8. The adjacent ends of the links 4 and 6 are disposed between andare in lapping relation with the inner and outer plates of the link 5,and the connections between the links are eiected by link connectors orpintles 9 and'10, passed transversely through the lapping ends of thelink--plates of adjacent links, as shown. Each of these link connectorsor pintles performs a triple function-that is to say, it serves as aconnection between the adjacent ends of a pair of links, maintains theproper relation of the link-plates of the links connected by it, andalso constitutes a shaft for a chain roller or traveler 11, disposedbetween the plates of a link, and thus located Within the limits of thechain. These travelers may be mounted directly upon the pintles; but bypreference each vof the latter is surrounded bya sleeve or 4cylindricalbushing 12, having its inner end abutting against the inner link-plateof one link-as, for instance, v

the link 5-and extended through the outer plate of said link and throughboth plates of the connected link-as, for instance, the link 6, as shownin Fig. 1.

In order to insure the retention of the connectors or pintles 9 and 10,each is provided with a head 13, disposed against the inner face of theinner link-plate, and its opposite eX- tremity is pierced by a key 14:,vwhich confines a washer 15 against the outer face of the outerlink-plate and against the outer extremity of `the bushing 12, which isflush therewith.

It will of course be understood that the conveyer may be of indefinitelength; but the section shown inthe drawings is representative of othersimilar sections, the buckets being suspended from alternate links andeach of the side chains being provided with travelers mounted upon thelink-connectors. VThe specific mounting of the buckets may be variedwithin wide limits; but by preference the inner plates 7 of thebucket-supporting links 5 are apertured for the reception ofbucket-trunnions 16, extending laterally from the opposite sides of thebuckets, intermediate of the ends thereof. To prevent lateral play ofthe conveyerbuckets, each is provided at its opposite Sides With plates17 of any desired contour secured to the'bucket-walls and formed withprojecting hubs 18, concentric with the trunnions 16 and designed tobear against the inner faces of the adjacent link-plates. Beyond theouter side of the inner link-plate, which is pierced by the trunnion,the latter is provided with a key 19, between which and the link-plateis interposed a Washer 20, surrounding the trunnion, as

shown. It should be understood, however, that While it is preferable tohave the trunnions passed through the inner link-plates only they may beextended through both plates of the bucket-supporting links if suchextension of the bucket-support is deemed necessary or desirable.

It will be noted by reference to Fig. 1 that the links of theconveyer-chains are considerably shorter than those ordinarily employed,the buckets being of sufficient length to extend a considerable distancebeyond the opposite ends of the bucket-supporting links. These relativeproportions of the parts named constitute a feature of the presentconstruction, since the shortening of the links and the mounting of thebuckets upon alternate links increases the flexibility of the conveyeras a whole and tends to promote its stability.

The chains 1 and 2 of the conveyer are connected at points intermediateof the buckets by chain-connectors in the form of transverse rods 21,having their opposite ends passed through the inner plates of thechain-links which alternate with the supporting links. These rods 21 areprovided with enlargements 22, bearing against the inner faces oftheconnected link-plates and retained in such posi- Ytion by nuts 23,screwed upon the extremities of the rods and bearing against the outersides of said plates.

It wil-l now be noted that the inner plate of each link of each sidechain is connected to the inner plate of the corresponding link of theother side chain, alternate connections being effected by means ofbuckets and rods, respectively. It will also be noted that since theseconnections extend between the middle portions of the opposite links thechain rollers or travelers will be located intermediate of suchconnections, since they are supported by the link-connectors at the endsof. the links. The chain and link connectors may therefore be said tohave an alternating arrangement, the links being connected at theirextremities and the chains being connected at points midway of the endsof the links.

Another feature of the invention, and one which is of considerablepractical importance, resides in the reinforcement of the link-plates atall points of wear. This reinforcement is preferably eifected bythickening all of said plates at their ends, as indicated at a in Fig.l, and by thickening the inner link-plates at the middle, as indicatedat b, in addition. By forming the plates in this manner it will beevident that those portions of the links which move one upon the otheror which are in contact with the travelers will be stiifened and y, thatthose portions of the inner link-plates connectors connecting the endsof the links, of-

travelers carried by the link-connectors, buckets pivotally supported byalternate links, and chain-connectors located intermediate of thebuckets.

4. In a bucket conveyer, the combination with side chains comprisinglinks, of chainconnectors and link-connectors in alternatingarrangement, each alternate chain-connector including a conveyer-bucket,and a-traveler carried by each link-connector, the link-connectors beinglocated at the ends of the links and the chain-connectors at pointsintermediate of the ends of said links,

5. In a bucket conveyer, the combination with side chains, oflink-connectors located atv the ends of the links, travelers mounted onthe link connectors, conveyer-buckets suspended from the middle portionsof alternate links and constituting chain-connectors, and otherchain-connectors in the form of rods extending between the middleportions of the other links of the chains and located intermev diate ofthe buckets.

6. In a bucket conveyer, the combination with side chains having linksmade up of paired link-plates, of link-connectors connecting contiguousends of the links, travelers mounted upon the connectors between thelinkplates, conveyer-buckets pivotally supported from the inner platesof alternate links, and chain-connecting rods extending between theinner plates of the other links.

7 In a bucket conveyer, the combination with side chains having linkscomposed of paired plates, link-connectors connecting the links at theircontiguous ends, travelers mounted on the link-connectors,conveyer-buckets having trunnions extended through the inner link-platesonly of alternate links, and chainconnecting rods connected to the innerplates only of the other links, all of the link-plates of the chainsbeing reinforced at the wearpoints.

8. In a bucket conveyer, the combination with side chains -having linkscomposed of paired plates, link-connectors connecting the links at theircontiguous ends, travelers mountedon the link-connectors,conveyer-buckets having trunnions extended through the inner .IIS

ISO

link-plates only of alternate links, and ohainmy own I have heretoaiiixed rny signature in i connecting rods connected to the inner platesthe presence of tWo Witnesses.

only of the other links, all of the link-plates w being` reinforced orthickened at their ends AUGUSTUS L' LE GRAND' 5 and the inner platesbeing additionally rein- Witnesses:

forced or thickened at their middle portions. GEO. DIETRICH, Intestimony that I claim the foregoing as M. THURMAN.

